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Coleman prevailed against some very tough competition in this hard-fought category

18 May, 2006

SPECIALIST AWARDS

DEMOLITION SPECIALIST OF THE YEAR ? sponsored by the National Federation of Demolition Contractors

WINNER: COLEMAN & CO

LAST year, Coleman was client, project manager and principal contractor on the construction of its own £6 million, state-of-the-art recycling plant. This facility will now be used to process material arising from Coleman's extensive demolition and dismantling activities. This major undertaking impressed the judges, who considered it unprecedented in the demolition sector.

They were also impressed by the underlying philosophy of Coleman's approach to business.

Excellent management systems ensure a high degree of control over key issues such as health, safety and the environment.

The company takes a pro-active approach to its work, a characteristic which last year helped Coleman secure its largest-ever project, a £16 million partnering contract with Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council.

Assessed by the client against key performance indicators (health and safety, environment, communications skills and innovation), Coleman scored 92 per cent compared to its closest rival, with 63 per cent.

What the judges said: 'Their accident and injury rates are extremely low, especially for their sector.' 'A really well-run company ? and they look after their people extremely well.'

HIGHLY COMMENDED: WALTER FOR SHAW Based in the north-west, Walter Forshaw has completed several highprofile contracts in the past year.

These include the demolition of parts of Aintree Racecourse in Liverpool and the removal of several motorway bridges by explosive demolition.

With a staff of 75, the company has a commendable approach to 'people' issues. It invests a lot in recruiting and training and last year the company trained its first female crane operator (thought to be the only female crane operator in the UK).

Walter Forshaw has also developed several in-house training courses.

Last year, the company re-wrote its health and safety manual and introduced new initiatives, such as its '10-minute stop' idea, whereby operatives all stop work for 10 minutes (usually at around 2 pm) to look around and check for hazards.

What the judges said: 'An excellent all-round performance. Great on health and safety; great on training.'

HIGHLY COMMENDED:

CANTILLON Last year's overall winner in these Awards, Cantillon again demonstrated its commitment to safety, customer service and community relations.

This year's entry focused on its contract for Land Securities at New Street Square, London EC4.

This £5 million, 12-month project was potentially difficult environmentally. Noise and vibration was minimised ? there was just one complaint (dealt with promptly) throughout the project.

The project was also monitored by environmental consultants as a flagship sustainability scheme which required items as small as door furniture and light fittings to be removed separately. None of this was featured in the tender documents, but Cantillon achieved a 90 per cent re-use and recycling of the 83,000 tonnes of waste generated.

What the judges said: 'A very impressive approach to sustainability and community relations.'

FINALIST: KDC GROUP Established in 1991, KDC is a specialist demolition contractor in the nuclear, pharmaceutical and petrochemical sectors. Working to onerous health, safety and quality standards, the company wins regular repeat work with major blue-chip clients.

Working in such demanding industry sectors, KDC has had to achieve and maintain consistently high standards of technical expertise and safety management.

FINALIST: CUDDY GROUP Claiming to be one of the safest demolition specialists in Europe, Cuddy is the UK's largest demolition company and enjoys a reputation for high standards, attention to detail and an exemplary health and safety record.

The centrepiece of the company's entry in these Awards was its £15 million contract for the demolition of the steel plant and continuous caster at Corus UK's Lantern site in Wales. Despite the huge size of this project, Cuddy completed the contract on time and to budget and there were no lost-time accidents.